Longtime Packers star Brett Favre made roughly $142 million throughout his 20-year NFL career.
Now, he could spend the rest of his post-professional life behind bars over his alleged involvement in a $77 million welfare scandal in Mississippi.
The Hall of Fame quarterback is in hot water for his ties to the misappropriation of roughly $77 million in Mississippi state funds. The welfare scandal is being described as Mississippi's largest-ever public corruption case.
Favre, along with 47 other defendants, are accused of stealing millions of dollars intended to aid Mississippi's lower class.
The funds that were illegally obtained in this case were intended to help the poorest among us. The funds were instead taken by a group of influential people for their own benefit, and the scheme is massive. It ends today,” said State Auditor Shad White.
Between 2017 and 2019, the Phil Bryant-appointed former Mississippi Department of Human Services Director John Davis and Mississippi Community Education Center nonprofit operator Nancy New directed millions in Temporary Assistance For Needy Families funds to Favre, a pharmaceutical business he was heavily invested in called Prevacus and a volleyball stadium he wanted built at the University of Southern Mississippi.
The governor at the time, Republican Phil Bryant, texted in 2019 with Favre, who wanted to build an indoor practice facility at USM. Bryant told him federal money for children and low-income adults is "tightly controlled" and "improper use could result in violation of Federal Law."
During their text conversation, Favre noted his desire to use Bryant's political sway to acquire more funding for a facility at his alma mater.
I need your influence somehow to get donations and or sponsorships," Favre texted Bryant. "Obviously Southern has no money so I'm hustling to get it raised."
These texts were later made public and filed in court in 2022, further ensnaring the 11-time Pro Bowl quarterback in a legal bind.
Despite texts proving that Favre knew the funds stemmed from the Mississippi State Department of Human Services, he has repeatedly denied knowing that the money he received was welfare money.
I have been unjustly smeared in the media,” Favre said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “I have done nothing wrong, and it is past time to set the record straight.”
No one ever told me, and I did not know that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the University or me,” Favre said. “I tried to help my alma mater USM, a public Mississippi state university, raise funds for a wellness center. My goal was and always will be to improve the athletic facilities at my university.”
The state has filed a civil lawsuit against Favre and others to recover more than $20 million in misspent welfare money intended to help needy people in one of the country's poorest states.
Though Favre has yet to be charged with a criminal offense, he is not completely out of the woods yet. Should the investigation conclude that Favre knowingly stole state funds, the Hall of Fame quarterback could serve a lengthy stint behind bars.
4049418284716324[/MEDIA]
